Former Union Official Pleads Guilty to embezzlement of funds

A former union official with the United Food and Commercial Workers Local Union 1208 entered a plea of guilty on Tuesday in the Eastern District of North Carolina federal court.

Terry Slaughter, 48, who served as the secretary-treasurer, entered a guilty plea to one count of embezzlement of labor union assets. As part of a plea arrangement, Slaughter agreed to make restitution to the UFCW Local Union 128 in the amount of $62,315.38.

According to federal court records, Slaughter used the funds embezzled to fund vacations and purchase personal items.

According to release from US Attorney Robert J. Higdon, In 2011, Terry Slaughter was elected secretary-treasurer of the United Food and Commercial Workers (“UFCW”), Local Union 1208. The Local encompasses North and South Carolina and has approximately 3600 active members. As the Secretary-Treasurer, Slaughter had financial oversight of the Local’s expenditures, bills, staff benefits, and payroll. Slaughter also acted as a counter signature on union checks and was responsible for providing monthly financial statements to the executive board as well as writing/maintaining the minutes from membership meetings.

An audit of the records of the UFCW in 2015 revealed that between January 2012 and March 2015, Slaughter embezzled $62,315.38.

Mr. Higdon commented: “Terry Slaughter held a position of trust on behalf of the thousands of members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union across North and South Carolina. This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s ongoing effort to ensure honesty and integrity for the members of our union community.”

The total potential penalties for this crime are 5 years imprisonment, a $10,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release and restitution. Slaughter is scheduled for sentencing in May 2019.